Her mother had visited Aunt Esther frequently in those days. Essie loved to talk to the barn cats, pick vegetables and flowers with the gardener, and practice skipping rocks on one of the ponds’ surfaces. She was superb at meowing and harvesting. Essie sucked at stone tricks.
“Hey. You have to choose a flat rock.”
Essie looked up to see an almost-teenager leaning on the fence watching her. “I know. I can’t get them to pop back up. They just plop and sink. Can you make them skip?”
“Yes. Is it okay if I climb over and show you?”
“Who are you? I’m Essie.”
“Hi, Essie. I’m Zander.”
“Hi, Zander. I’d love it if you could teach me.”
And that was how their friendship had started. The difference between their ages and the fact Essie didn’t live there all the time didn’t matter. When she came to visit, she’d hug her aunt, grab two cookies from Sara, and head across the field to the fence line where Zander always waited for her.
She idolized him. He knew things. Skipping rocks. How to whistle incredibly loudly. Essie loved spending time with him. Their families were pleased they’d become friends. Sara or his mom fed both kids as they roamed between the two estates.
Of course, Zander became a teenager. His attention turned to pretty cheerleaders and sports. A younger kid trailing behind him had to annoy him, Essie guessed, but he’d never acted like she was a bother. Meeting her at the fence died out as they got older. He was at football practice or hanging out with kids at school. Essie missed spending time with him.
Spotting his car at the local malt shop, Essie had begged her mom to drop her off. She scrambled out of the car with a ten-dollar bill in her pocket in case she wanted a treat. After bursting through the door, Essie searched the tables to find Zander. Her gaze floated over to a couple kissing in the corner booth.
Hearing Zander’s voice, she scanned the room to spot him still leaning toward the pretty, petite teenager on the seat next to him in that secluded spot. Her red lips and blue eyelids looked so glamorous. Not allowed to wear makeup at eleven, Essie compared herself to the other girl, and instantly her idea to joinZander seemed dumb. Her hand crept up to cover the blackberry stain on her T-shirt. Zander could never be interested in her.
Two big boys knocked her out of the way. Her money fluttered to the ground.
“You’re as big as a door but not as useful as one,” the larger jerk told her. And the other snatched the bill from the ground. “Today’s my lucky day, Pete. Malts are on me.”
“Hey. That’s mine. Give my money back,” Essie shouted before thinking.
“Essie?” Zander called her name.
Out of the corner of her vision, Essie saw him try to slide from the booth, but his girlfriend wouldn’t move. “Jennifer. Let me out. Essie’s a friend of mine.”
“If you like her so much, you can hang out with her,” Jennifer snapped and stood before flouncing toward the exit. She, of course, rammed her shoulder into Essie’s as she sped by, knocking Essie on her butt. The impact made Essie’s bottom hurt almost as much as her heart did.
“Jennifer, wait,” Zander called after the cute girl before stopping to haul Essie back to her feet. “Are you okay?” he asked Essie.
“Sorry, Zander.” Essie couldn’t even meet his gaze. She wished the floor would open up and swallow her.
“Did they take your money?” Zander demanded in a hard voice.
She nodded. When Zander whirled to confront the jerks who waved her ten-dollar bill at him, Essie quickly said, “Don’t worry about it, Zander. It’s my fault for not holding onto the bill better.”
“Give it back,” Zander demanded.
“Dude. She doesn’t need a malt,” Pete said with a sneer.
Zander didn’t hesitate. He swung, and blood spouted from Pete’s nose.
“You can’t hit me. My dad’s the mayor.” Pete blubbered as he cupped his hands over his crimson nose.
Zander plucked the bill from his fingers and handed the ten to Essie. “Go. I don’t need any more trouble today,” he told her.
Essie fled for the door as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She ran back toward Ferguson’s Folly, crying the whole time. Zander had talked to her so meanly. Her heart broke as she worried about him getting in trouble. Essie was appalled at the chaos her attempt to see her friend had provoked. By the time her mother pulled up next to her on the road, her tears had dried up.
Zander’s enraged mom had visited later to talk to Essie’s mom and Aunt Esther. Pete had tried to get Zander arrested for assault. Witnesses had spoken up to stop that, according to his mother. Thank goodness. Unfortunately, Essie’s mom and Zander’s mother had fought over who was to blame for this event. The threat of charging Zander with a crime had cemented in his mother’s mind that Essie was a troublemaker who needed to be avoided at all costs. She didn’t want a dark cloud over her family name and Zander’s future.
Fuming at the negative label Zander’s mom had bestowed on Essie, her mother had countered, alleging that Zander was completely at fault for being a hothead. Aunt Esther had tried to mediate between the two but had failed miserably. The emotions were too high for logic to gain traction. Finally at Esther’s suggestion, the two mothers decided together that Essie shouldn’t contact Zander anymore when she was in town. No matter how much Essie pleaded for her to reconsider, her mother had refused to change her mind and warned that they’d stop visiting Esther if Essie didn’t follow her rules.
